Package-holder for railway-car seats



(No Model.)

S. B. MORSS. PACKAGE HOLDER FOR RAILWAY GAR SEATS.

No. 462,723. Patented Nov. 10,1891

WITNESSES: 11v l/E/VTOR Z/ A TTOR/VEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN l3. MORSS, OF RAHYVAY, NEXV JERSEY.

PACKAGE-HOLDER FOR RAILWAY-CAR SEATS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 462,723, dated November 10, 1891.

Application filed November 29, 1890- Serial No. 372,991. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, STEPHEN B. MoRss, a resident of Rahway, county of Union, State of New Jersey, have invented an Improved Package-Holder for Car-Seats, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide the back of a railway-car seat with a shelf or holder for packages, which shelf can be folded up when not in use, and which can also be adjusted to the proper position to receive packages in whichever position the car-seat may be placed.

The invention consists in the novel details of improvement and the combinations of parts that will be more fully hereinafter set forth, and then pointed out inthe claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective View of a railwaycar seat having my improvement applied. Fig. 2 is an end view thereof. Fig. 3 is aback view showing the shelf folded up. Fig. 4 is a cross-section showing the shelf folded. Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of the shelf extended, and Figs. 6, 7, and S are details hereinafter explained.

In the accompanying drawings, the letter A indicates the back of a railway-car seat, which is shown hinged to the seat-fran1e B, so that its position can be reversed in manner well known. (See dotted and full lines, Fig. 2.) On the outer side of the seat-back A, I place a shelf or support D, which is adapted to hold packages, the. Said shelf is directly in front of the person sitting in the seat behind A. Said shelf D is preferably pivoted on the seat-back A and extends slightly upwardly when turned down, so as to prevent packages slipping outward, as shown.

The shelf D is shown having pivots or lugs a, that fit into apertures Z) in plates or cleats E, that are secured to the seat-back A, as shown, one at each end of the shelf, whereby the shelf D is hung on the seat-back A, so as to be swung both up and down. The plate E is shown having a rib (1, containing the aperture b (which gives clearance for the back of the shelf) and lugs (2, having apertures f to receive a hinge pin or rod g.

F are brackets hinged to the plate E and adapted to support the shelf D at its ends.

6, which lugs h have apertures '6 to receive the pin g, whereby the bracket F is hinged to the plate E, as shown. By the above arrangement of hinges the brackets F are made capable of being folded over the shelf D, as shown in Fig. 3; but the brackets F can be hinged to the plate E otherwise, if desired.

G is a spring adapted to press the bracket F inwardly against the shelf D, as shown. The spring G is shown as a spiral spring wound on the pin g and pressing at one end against the bracket F and at the other end against the plate E.

The bracket F has a rib or projection H on its inner side, upon which the end of the shelf D is to rest. Said projection H inclines outwardly and upwardly, so that the shelf will be held in an inclined position. The projection H is double or V-shapcdthat is to say, its two edges converge outwardly from the inner part of the bracket F-thereby making two rests for the shelf D, so that in whichever position the seat-back A is placed the shelf D can be supported in an inclined position. The side of the bracket F contiguous to the projection ll may be rounded or beveled to form a socket to receive the end of the shelf, the rounded face of the bracket facilitating the moving of the parts upon each other.

hen not in use the shelf D can be folded up, as in Figs. 3 and 4., or down, as in dotted lines at the right in Fig. 2, in which position the bracket F will fold inward on the shelf D, the springs G holding the brackets and shelf in the closed position. \Vhen now the shelf is to be used, it is drawn down, (or raised up,) thereby spreading the bracket F outwardly until the outer edge of the bracket comes to rest on the side of the projection II on the bracket, so that the shelf will be inclined slightly upward (see Figs. 1 and 2) ready to receive the packages. If the seatback A be now turned over, as in dotted lines, Fig.2, the side of the projection II will face upwardly, so that the shelf can rest on it and thus incline upwardly.

From the above it will be seen that the shelf will be properly supported in whatever position the seat-back A is placed.

When the shelf D is folded up, as in Figs. 3 and 4:, it will not interfere with passengers The brackets F have lugs 71, corresponding to passing to and from the seat, while always i being in position ready to be turned down for use.

It is evident that the general arrangement of parts can be altered from that shown without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having now described my invention, what- I claim is- I 1. The combination of a reversible seatback with a shelf or support hinged thereto and arranged to extend outwardly in whatever position the seat-back is placed, and the brackets F, also hinged thereto and arranged to engage said shelf at its ends and to support it in whichever position the seat-back is placed,substantially as described.

2. The combination of a reversible car-seat back with a shelf or support hinged thereto, and brackets F, also hinged thereto, said brackets being arranged to engage the ends of said shelf and also to fold on said shelf to hold the latter closed, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a reversible seatback with a shelf or support hinged thereto, and with brackets F, also hinged thereto and having a projection on the inner side to engage and support the shelf at its ends in Whichever position the car-seat may be placed, substantially as described.

, 4. The combination of a reversible seatback with a shelf or support hinged thereto, and brackets F, also hinged thereto and having the substantially V-shaped projection H on the inner side to support the ends of the shelf in either position, the narrow end of said projection extending toward the inner edge of said .brackets, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a reversible seatback with a shelf or support hinged thereto, and brackets F, also hinged thereto, said brackets having projections H on the inner side to support the shelf, the side of the bracket contiguous to said projection being beveled or rounded to form a socket to receive the end of the shelf, substantially as described.

6. The combination of a reversible seatback with a shelf hinged thereto, brackets also hinged thereto, and springs to hold said brackets against the ends of said shelf and also over it when the shelf is closed, whereby when the seat-back is turned over the shelf will remain in the closed position, substantially as described.

7. The combination of a reversible seatback with plates E, secured thereto, shelf D, hinged to said plates, brackets F, also hinged to said plates, and springs G, pressing said brackets inward to close over the shelf and to hold them against the ends of the shelf, substantially as described.

8. The combination of the pivoted shelf D, brackets F, having projections on the inner sides arranged to engage the ends of the shelf, and springs connected with said brackets for holding them against the ends of the shelf and for holdingthe brackets over the shelf when the latter is closed, substantially as described.

STEPHEN B. MORSS.

Vitnesses:

.T. T. lVIURRAY, T. F. BOURNE. 

